You are invited to attend the first of our annual social work lectures, a series of lectures focused on current issues of direct relevance to social work policy and practice. Our first lecture will be delivered by Professor Sir Al Aynsley Green, the first Children’s Commissioner for England and now a leading commentator on children’s rights and experiences.

Sir Al Aynsley-Green has over 40 years of experience working with governments and organisations worldwide on children and childhood today. He was the first National Clinical Director for Children in government, the first Children’s Commissioner for England and President of the British Medical Association. He is now Professor Emeritus of Child Health, University College London and Visiting Professor of Advocacy for Children and Childhood at Nottingham Trent University, UK. He will base his challenging lecture on his new book ‘The British Betrayal of Childhood’ that distils his experiences of working with and for children. He celebrates what’s good about their lives today, but pulls no punches on what isn’t whilst offering positive solutions that could give children the childhood they need and deserve. The lecture will be interactive and ‘action-centred’ to identify steps that can be taken locally and nationally to make real the fact that children are our future as well as being citizens today.

The lecture will be chaired by Professor Sue White, Professor of Social Work in the Department of Sociological Studies at the University of Sheffield.

The lecture will begin at 4pm and will be followed by a drinks reception.